What does anxiety feel like?

The first thing we noticed is that she ate very little. She became moody, hard to judge, would jump at the slightest sounds and hid herself away as much as she could. Her days became regimented as she tried to control her surroundings. We had moved to a new house and Stevie was finding it hard to adjust.

When you are unsure of your environment, perceive a threat or feel out of control you use the same part of the brain that all animals do in a similar situation – the limbic system. To a greater or lesser extent, you become angry or easily agitated, negative, obsessed, hyper-vigilant and because this part of the brain isn’t an intellect you can only refer to previous patterns of behaviour. What you did yesterday kept you alive, so you do it again – even if you know it’s bad for you in the long term.

When this happens, we might begin to show physical symptoms such as migraine or headaches, feeling too tired, upset stomach, insomnia and even changes to our weight through not eating enough or comfort eating. It can also leave us unable to concentrate, feeling overwhelmed, worrying, or becoming increasing negative.

If you can relate to Stevie’s anxiety you’re not alone. I work with people like you to help them take back control and aim for a more positive future. I use a solution focused approach combined with the focus and relaxation of trance to help you focus on what matters and get to where you want to be.